Most Inspirational Moment
stunning scenery all week but especially aiguiile di midi on restday and deep inside glacier at montevens
Thoughts on Group Leader
highly skilled
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
mont blanc highlights
an excellent trip made by stunning scenery,a good crowd of fellow hikers, a good leader who adapted well to his team and temperatures of 35C and great chalet hosts. well done exodus !
This ain't your usual safari...
Where do I begin… if your objective is to come home with some gorgeous photographs of truly wild animals in one of the finest wilderness areas on the planet, this is the trip for you. But be under no illusion, it’s hard work. If you’re looking forward to your nutmeg pancakes (Paul’s breakfast insult of choice, it seems!) before a leisurely morning, look elsewhere. If you want to be in the right place, right time, this is it.
Lion cubs a-plenty, cheetah family at play – and on the hunt, a close encounter with a leopard, this had it all. And when we were back at camp, we couldn’t have been in greater luxury.
Most Inspirational Moment
Many, many moments, but it has to be having a leopard walking directly towards me before sitting down right next to our back wheel. I don't think I breathed for about 5 minutes. Lion cub calling for it's mother, cheetah chase and kill...
Thoughts on Group Leader
Paul Goldstein. Crikey. I'm not sure there's anyone quite like him. I've never met a more hard working, enthusiastic and passionate photographer. The times when it's your turn in a vehicle with him are hard work, and you can feel drained at the end of it but he'll stop at nothing to get in the right place. You'll be shouted at and put under pressure but the trick is to cut through all that to what's important. Watch what he's doing, how he's lining up shots, ask him what he's trying to do etc and learn from being in his presence.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Mainly practical stuff here I think. Firstly, cameras - know yours inside out before you go. Understand how to fluidly change settings and how that affects exposure, focus etc. Be ready to quickly change lenses. Paul seems to have an ability to think a number of photos in advance and it can be hard to keep up, but it's great if can try. And if you've not got a big white lens - hire one. Unless of course you're a Nikon shooter, in which case good luck with Paul! If you're taking a big camera bag with all your kit in, take a small shoulder bag or similar. With 3 or 4 people per vehicle and lots of big lenses, there's not a lot of space to move big bags around. Decant what you need for a drive (batteries, cards, sun cream, water, smaller lenses etc) into a little bag and leave your big bag in your tent. Laundry - go light. Daily laundry service, so you literally only need 2 or 3 changes. Take warm fleece for mornings but it gets hot in the day - shorts, sandals etc are the way to go. Luggage - don't stress over the weight limit. This may of course change, but for me, I was about 5-7 kilos over and both international and internal flights - never checked, no problems.
Stunning Scenery
I enjoyed the trip and the scenery of the areas visited is stunning.
Most Inspirational Moment
Walking on the glacier and the ferry trip up the Inside Passage (long but well worth it) were the highlights for me.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Alex was excellent and worked hard to ensure that all members of the group had options for activities suitable for them.
Advice for Potential Travellers
This is an active holiday with opportunities to go hiking - I'm not sure this was clear to some of the people booking through different companies onto the holiday so adjustments had to be made for them by to group leader.
The food and the views make the tough bits worthwhile!
An amazing trip with some brilliant fellow travellers. Never would have made it up some of those hills without the support of Paulo and the rest of the team.
The cycling was tough at times but I think that was partly due to the heat. We had average temps between 30 and 35 degrees. There are some challenging climbs but what goes up must come down and everyone in the group made it through. I would recommend putting some time in on the bike before the holiday.
Paulo is a great leader with excellent knowledge about the area as well as knowing all the best places to eat!
On the final day we found a tour of the lemon groves in Amalfi which I would hugely recommend. It was advertised in the hotel and we had a great time learning about the history of lemon growing in the area as well as sampling some of the lovely food and drink they create! (www.amalfilemonexperience.it)
Accommodation was all nice and the dinners were great-you definitely won’t go hungry. Pools at all hotels except the last one but the beach was 2 minutes walk away. Take some insect repellant for the agriturismo.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing everyone reach the top of the climb out of Sorrento and the big one on the first day. The group were so supportive of each other.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Paulo was fab and we were sorry to say goodbye! Trust him when it comes to food recommendations!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Padded shorts are a must as there's a fair few lumps and bumps in the road. Make the effort to put in a bit of training before you go as it'll let you make the most of the holiday and enjoy the stunning scenery even more.
Walking in Tuscany
The week was well planned, thought out and enjoyable, Sara and the team at Braccicorti did an excellent job both with the walks and domestic arrangements each day through to arranging an interesting and worthwhile trip to Lucca on our free day. A good job well done.
Most Inspirational Moment
Each day brought different memories which were all very good, there was no individual moment that exceeded any other but the trip as a whole was inspirational.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sara was a professional and interesting guide who had a vast amount of knowledge about the area, her planning skills were second to none and she made the trip into a holiday that I would recommend to anyone. Sara also went above and beyond in arranging a 60th birthday party which was not part of her normal role which added to the overall enjoyment we had during the trip.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be well prepared for walking in hot weather with temperatures reaching 35+ degrees.
Walking in Norway
A brilliant holiday
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing to the top of the waterfall in the spray and on hands and knees at times!!! But we all did it ( with ages up to 81). Truely inspirational view.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent. He couldn't do enough for us. Was exceptionally encouraging.
Advice for Potential Travellers
All weather gear
Mont Blanc Highlights
It was a great week of hikes supported by yet another lovely team of Exodus support
staff. Despite the heatwave baking Europe, the group enjoyed the daily routes (especially the shady bits!) and felt we’d earned our nightly dinner, each of which was impressive (to judge from how we asked for the recipes) and served wtih great kindness and care to detail by our chalet cooks/house managers Colin & Jane who seemed to think of and to anticipate everything we needed.
Most Inspirational Moment
1) coming across a (wild) Ibex 2) Feeling so close to the highest peaks on the Italian side of the range while walking through fields of Alpine wildflowers whose varieties were such an unexpected treat 3) spotting a marmot on a rock (and hearing his or her bird-like call!)
Thoughts on Group Leader
Simon Conroy is another exceptional Exodus leader and guide. Experienced, encouraging, informative, worldly, accomodating (and humorous), we felt in the best of hands with a guy who could literally handle anything.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring your walking poles, plenty of sunscreen, hydration tablets for your water bottles and music (on your mobile phone or iPod) to share as the chalet has a sound system that accomodates this.
Nice Trip But Could Be Better Still
I had read the reviews of this trip before booking and would agree with all the good points mentioned in them as well and enjoyed the trip.
But I think a few small changes could improve it even more.
Most Inspirational Moment
I liked the cycling in the Czech Republic the most and the vist to Cesky Krumlov. The cycle paths here were fantastic and the rides the rolling terrain and forests was excellent.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jan was a good leader and and had time for everybody on the trip. I would of liked him to have an assistant on the trip to help out with the cycling with a group of 14 though.
Advice for Potential Travellers
In June we had cold and wet weather for the first 5 days and most of us were not quite prepared for that. So make sure you have a good rain jacket. The rear pannier on the hire bikes is very handy for clothes, cameras etc so you won't have to take your own bag if you are hiring a bike. The bikes are heavy though and the worst hire bikes I have had on 8 trips. If you take your own bike there are several gravel sections so a little uncomfortable if on a road bike with thin tyres.
Highlights of Turkey
It was an interesting, varied trip but could be improved.
Most Inspirational Moment
The balloon flight. I couldn't believe it when they actually landed on the trailer! No bumpy landing this time. I didn't know whether to take photos of the 100 balloons around us or the landscape! Very impressive.
Thoughts on Group Leader
In my opinion she gave us too much information. We could have looked round the sites while there were not many visitors, but she kept talking so we missed that slot. If we had wanted to know more we would look it up on the internet.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you see the sites behind the theatre at Aspendos. All tour groups don't go there and it was only that I had requested to see it we were allowed. You leave all the crowds behind and get a great view looking down on the theatre in peace.
Photographic Safari Masai Mara June 2015
This photographic safari was lead by Paul Goldstein who is a well known and highly rated wildlife photographer. The Masai Mara is a very special area in Kenya to go to in order to photograph wildlife in their own environment. The days start before daylight and end after darkness descends.
Most Inspirational Moment
On this trip there were many such moments from following a family of lions. watching a cheetah and family of four adolescent cubs servive against hyenas and other scavengers and a magnificant male leopard hunting. More relaxing times were spent with a herd elephants. The most important point to remember is that things change rapidly, no two days were the same and you do not know what is round the corner. Even the changing weather gave opportunities to photograph some really moody skies and sunsets.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Paul Goldstein will not be everyones cup of tea, but no one can deny his enthusiasm and drive in order to get you to where the the animals are and to give you every chance to observe and photograph them.There is time in the evenings to evaluate and discuss each others photos and to learn from each other. He and his drivers seem to instinctively know where to start looking and can "read" the signs.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The days are long and sometimes tiring, spending time in 4x4's over rough terrain. . This was my second trip and I would go again. To get the most out of this trip you do need to know how your camera works and how to change the settings quickly for often you have to be instinctive. Long lenses will be needed so consider hiring if you lenses are not powerful enough.